Friday's Prep Baseball: PCHS gains confidence, builds momentum

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Run-scoring extra basehits from Michael Rakers and Christian Shopinski n the third inning provided just enough cushion for Pinckneyville Community High School's Baseball team Friday.

The Panthers-behind the combined six-hit pitching of Drew Dudek and Bryant Shute-edged Carbondale 2-1 at the Super Block Complex.

PCHS is now 4-5 and begins River-to-River Conference play in the Mississippi Division Monday at Anna-Jonesboro,

"It was good to see us compete even when we weren't getting hits to drop in," Panthers coach Alan Engelhardt said.

"Earlier in the season if we weren't hitting, we let it affect the other aspects of our game, but today we battled through it."

The safeties by Shopinski and Rakers accounted for two of the three Panther hits with Dudek's single the only other safety.

Dudek (2-1) took the pitching win with four strong innings, whiffing six and giving the Terriers just three its.

Bryant Shute's second save came after three innings of work and three hits. He struck out three.

" Drew was having some problems locating, but he gutted through it, and made enough pitches to get out of some trouble, and Bryant did a nice job coming in to shut the door," Engelhardt said. "It was good to see us pull out a low scoring affair."

Carbondale stranded nine baserunners and out-hit the Panthers 6-3.

PCHS 2, Carbondale 1

PHS 002 000 0-2 3 2

CCHS 000 010 0-1 6 4

Dudek, Shute (4) and Barczewski. Bird, Taylor (4) and Fink. WP-Dudek, 2-1. LP-Bird. SV-Shute, 2. TOP HITTERS-PCHS: Dudek 1-4, Rakers 1-4 (2B, RBI), Shopinski 1-2 (3B, RBI).